Speaking this week at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society, Wolf gave an overview of the book he recently co-authored, “Viral Hate,” and explained the evolution of Internet hate, the implications it has for society, and what we as Internet consumers can do to combat it.

Propaganda from hate groups existed long before electronic media came into play, Wolf noted. Prior to World War II, the Nazis used printed media propaganda to demonize Jews in society. In the 1990s, as Internet browsers and the World Wide Web developed into an entirely new form of communication, hate groups latched onto this new propaganda tool to spread their toxic beliefs. Alongside celebrity news and mainstream politics, the Web became a breeding ground for hate speech about racism, white supremacy, anti-Semitism, and homophobia. Citing pre-World War II Germany as his example, Wolf noted that hate speech might not directly injure anyone, but “who can say what the constant comments on hate will lead to.”

In addition to being used as a forum for spreading hate propaganda, Wolf explained that the Internet has recently been used as a tool to persecute others for their personal beliefs. Authors and bloggers have received gruesome death threats in response to online postings, and women have been cyber-stalked by ex-husbands and ex-boyfriends, who have gone so far as to post the woman’s address to invite other men to participate. 

Unlike earlier forms of communication, the Internet has provided unprecedented anonymity for expressing hate publicly without having to face repercussions. Internet laws were designed to allow the free exchange of ideas, Wolf said, but the darker side to this freedom of expression “creates monsters” and has propagated more hate speech than ever before.

So of course we're removing anything illegal from PandaWhale.

As well as anything overly spammy or porny.

But I'm increasingly of the opinion that we should also be vigilant about battling bullying and hate speech.

We set the standards for our community and those standards are NOT anything goes.

If it's not inspiring, connecting, educating, or entertaining, then it probably doesn't belong on PandaWhale.

Am I turning into a cranky old panda???

difference between dislike and hate?  

It's a tough distinction, but here's how I'm thinking about it.

Dislike is stating an opinion: "I don't like (blank)."

Hate is proposing or threatening harm: "Why don't you kill yourself?"

It's okay for a person to say s/he doesn't like me, but once s/he makes it clear s/he wants me hurt, s/he has crossed a line.